JCPenney Closing More Stores Including One in New England

JCPenney has been around for over 100 years, but it is slowly becoming a thing of the past as more and more stores are closing their doors.

How Did JCPenney Get to Thie Point?

JCPenney started as a retail chain that was found in most city's downtown districts. When shopping malls started being built, the company moved their stores, like many others in downtown areas, to local malls. At one point, nearly every mall in America had a JCPenney as one of its anchor stores. At its peak, there were 2,000 JCPenney stores across the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the decline of JCPenney which forced the company to close 242 stores and declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Since then announcements of more closures have happened every year.

More Closures Announced in 2025

In early April JCPenney announced another eight stores would be closing. JCPennys in Maine at the Maine Mall, Auburn Mall, Bangor Mall, and Aroostook Centre Mall in Presque Isle are not on the chopping block.

READ MORE: Take a Trip Back in Time to When York Steak House Was at the Maine Mall

JCPenney at Fox Run Mall

The JCPenney at The Mall at Fox Run in Newington, New Hampshire, formerly The Fox Run Mall, is one of the eight stores scheduled for this round of closures that will happen by mid-2025. According to Retail Wire, in December 2020 Brookfield Property Partners and Simon Property Group had ownership of JCPenney with plans to restructure their stores and decrease debt. Sadly, that's of no comfort to the employees of JCPenney at the Mall at Fox Run and their loyal customers.